54 INDIANA HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS 



which when perfectly green, will ignite as easy and burn 

 as well as I ever saw seasoned hickory of sugar tree do in 

 the south part of this state. As to the healthiness of the 

 country I can only say that every body says it is so, and 

 every body's personal appearance warrants the belief 

 that the say so is true. The badness of my own health 

 was my inducement for leaving the Ohio river, as then 

 there seemed no prospect of my ever recovering it — here, 

 I have become as hearty as I ever was in my life — com- 

 pletely restored. I most earnestly wish that many of 

 my friends could partake of the benefits of this country. 

 The north end of Indiana will most certainly become the 

 garden spot of the state. A very erroneous impression 

 has been long impressed upon the public in regard to the 

 country purchased of the Potawatamies in 1832, lying 

 within this state. It has ever been represented upon the 

 map of the state as one immense swamp — But instead of 

 that being the fact, it is directly the contrary. Ten thou- 

 sand acres of fine high dry Prairie, to one of swamp, is 

 more correct. Nearly all the streams are bordered with 

 marsh, on which grows the most luxurient crop of grass, 

 which affords the greatest abundance of good hay to the 

 new settlers. So that instead of being a detriment to 

 the settlement of the country, it is the greatest advantage 

 — and as the water of these marshes is generally pure 

 spring water and no decaying timber on them they are in 

 no way unhealthy. In fact there is no decaying timber 

 here (the great source of miasma) even in the timbered 

 land. It is all burnt up annually, as the Indians make it 

 a point to fire the Phairies every fall, and all of the tim- 

 ber here is so combustible that it burns so entirely as to 

 leave no trace even of the stumps. — Perhaps this is the 

 way that the Prairies are first made. 



There appears to be but few Indians now in the coun- 

 try. There are three wigwams on the bank of a most 

 beautiful lake 1 abounding in fish, geese, ducks and musk- 



1 Probably Cedar Lake. 



